[Rant] Project X Zone Needs to be Localized

Stop reading this, watch it all, and then come back and tell me this shouldn’t be localized.

Don’t believe me? It’s all in the numbers:

Number 1: 16 Minutes of Pure Unadulterated Crossover Action

See video above.

Technically it’s a cross of strategy RPG and action, but who really doesn’t want to play this? There’s plenty of room for strategy action RPGs on the 3DS, let alone the gaming landscape. Especially one this expensively pretty. Another great thing to look forward to with this game is some pulse-poundingly nostalgic muzacks to accompany all the action. Few of us actually got to play Namco x Capcom when it came out, and for me that remains an unfortunate fact, but if there’s one thing we all probably managed to enjoy, it was the soundtrack. Chances are you’ve gotten your hands on it, one way or another. Admit it. I have no reason to believe this soundtrack will be any less impressive, if the 16 minute promo is any indication.

Number 2: Capcom X SEGA X Namco Bandai = Huge Star-Studded Cast

Like its predecessor, Namco x Capcom, Project X Zone is a huge party of characters ranging from the obscure to the popular. They feature a fairly even distribution of “Pair Units” accompanied by “Solo Units” for in-battle assists, working much like a typical Capcom VS game. For some reason Capcom gets one less of each unit than the other two companies (not counting the pair of original characters exclusive to the game for Namco Bandai’s camp), but it still counts out to 53 fully-voiced and lovingly animated characters to bust heads with.

Plus, you gotta love the attention given to Devilotte, a mildly obscure character from the greatest fighting game that time forgot:Cyberbots. You could make a whole game out of her and her quirky entourage, and it could be more successful than Misadventures of Tron Bonne. Which reminds me, I should start drafting that petition to beg Capcom for a Devilotte X Tron Bonne crossover game.

Number 3: Three Mega Man Cancellations in a Year + Assorted PR Bungles = Opportunity

You should be noticing a pattern with my articles.

Now, it should be noted that Capcom is neither publishing nor developing this game. Project X Zone is being handled jointly by Banpresto of Super Robot Wars fame and Monolith Software, which developed the Xenosaga series. It’ll be published in the land of the Rising Sun on October 11 by Namco Bandai, with no announcements for Western localization at this time. So, in the case of both Capcom and SEGA, the roles are as overseers rather than producers or developers.

However, would Mega Man fans really care? Especially those that were burned by, *ahem*, a few recent disappointments? I didn’t even realize this game wasn’t being made by Capcom until someone told me (and neither did Dale North of Dtoid apparently!), which I think reflects just how much non-Namco fans are looking forward to this game. Right now, with Mega Man‘s 25th anniversary looming in December, the fans are just clamoring for something good to come along and tell them, “Everything will be alright, baby; things are gonna get better from here on out.” Either that, or just a good old video game distraction.

Even if Capcom isn’t actively producing this game, they’re definitely in the position to spearhead localization of Project X Zone, because despite the fact that this isn’t explicitly a Mega Man game, it stars a whopping four (now five) heavy-hitters from two different Mega Man series: X, Zero, Iris, and Vile from Mega Man X and Tron Bonne from Mega Man Legends. Both of these series are unfortunately inactive–the former from stagnation and the latter from either betrayal or lack of interest (depending on who you ask)–so releasing something like Project X Zone stateside would be a good start to mending fresh wounds, warming up the shivering Mega Man IP for the future, and calming the bitter anxiety that seems to permeate the fanbase. Lord knows no Mega Man fan wants to be told a second time that they’re not getting a game they REALLY wanted because they didn’t want it enough. At that rate, considering the poor state Mega Man has been driven into in the last 10 years, it’s a wonder if Capcom will put out something good enough that they and other gamers will in turn get hyped for, lest the cycle of mutual disinterest continues.

Anyway, it’s not like Capcom need be motivated to do this just for Mega Man fans. You can just as easily appeal to Devil May Cry fans and Resident Evil fans with character pairs like Chris Redfield + Jill Valentine and Dante + Vergil, not to mention starving Darkstalkers fans with the juglicious Morrigan Aensland and the demonic Demitri Maximoff. Also Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li are in there too, which is always nice.

As an aside, I’m really stoked to see Kite and BlackRose team up once again. It’s been too long. Hey, wouldn’t it be awesome if they included Tsukasa and his Guardian as a Solo Unit assist? THAT’D BE GREAT! I love .hack//SIGN so much. And now, the moment I’ve been waiting for ever since I saw KOS-MOS use an attack called the “X-BUSTER” has finally come to rock face: Double X-Buster

I’m telling you guys: Star-studded cast, with great chemistry. Not to mention the first time X (and Vile) show up outside of their franchise and in a fighting game of sorts. No, the costume in UMvC3 doesn’t count. It’s nice, but it simply wasn’t the same, and this game demonstrates that fact quite nicely.

Now go grab these gifs courtesy of Solknight—these and these and these and also these–and stick them in your sigs all around the interwebs. Spread it around like the restless fire demons I know you probably aren’t but wish you were anyways. Cheers.

UPDATE: According to a rumor from the Project X Zone Localization Community, an alleged Namco Bandai rep stated that Japanese sales of the game may determine the likelihood of its localization to the West. Seems like an disjointed method to determine how well it would sell outside of Japan (read: useless), but perhaps the aim is to reach a revenue milestone that would greenlight localization. In that case, PREORDER THE GAME FOR GREAT JUSTICE.

Alternatively, you can keep your eyes on TGS starting tomorrow and NYCC starting October 11–the day the game releases in Japan–for any Project X Zone related news hencewith.